"Reunited"
Disclaimer : I do not own the rights to Tuck Everlasting ; the book or the movie, and I make no claims to do so. I am gaining no profit in posting this story, except for personal enjoyment.
Chapter 1
He had found it. He had found what he was looking for, but now he wished
with every fiber of his being that he hadn't so he could still hold on to
his fantasy. But the reality was that he had found it. The
tombstone of his beloved. His one and only true love. He knew now
without a doubt that he'd never get to see her sweet face again. He knew now that he'd be going through the world all
alone, forever. There'd never be another Winnie
and he knew he'd have to go till the end of time without her. As all of
this began to sink in Jesse Tuck began to weep as he walked and slowly knelt
down in front of the tombstone. The inscription read:
Here lies the beloved Winnifred Foster 1899-1930.
'So', he thought , 'she had departed this world just sixteen years
after I left her. Here. Alone. I was a damn fool to leave
her.'
He began reminiscing about all the time he had spent with her. It wasn't enough time. He wanted more time. Suddenly he heard a twig snap behind him, and he became alert. Silence. Then he began hearing light footsteps approach him. Three steps. He slowly began to stand up. But stopped dead in his tracks once he heard it. Heard the melody he had known from so long ago, the melody of his mother's music box. Someone was whistling it. His blood ran cold. Then he heard more steps. The person was coming closer. The person stopped a foot away from him. Jesse stood all the way up at attention. Then from the person came the sweet voice of young girl. She said, "Yes."
Jesse stood there frozen. He knew that voice. "Yes, what?" Jesse answered as he let hot tears silently run down his cheeks. The girl answered, matter-of-factly, yet lovingly:
"You once asked me to spend forever with you, but I never
answered you. Now I am. Yes, I want to spend for ever with you
Jesse Tuck. I love you." Jesse turned around, and their
she was, his beloved Winnie. She hadn't changed a bit. Fearing it
was a dream he opened and closed his eyes tightly. But the last time he
did so, and he opened them she was still there, smiling. They immediately
ran into each other's arms and embraced. For it had been so long since
they were able to do so. "I love you so much, I love you so much",
was what he kept saying in between kissing her repeatedly.
Once they stopped Jesse took a step back, for he still could not believe that his dear Winnie was standing right in front him. Winnie saw the bewilderment on her love's face and decided to lighten things up a bit. "You know, it took me over a lifetime to learn how to whistle that song." Jesse laughed but somehow his laugh turned into a kind of sob. The lover's eyes danced and both gave a weak, shy smile towards one another. Then Jesse said sadly, "I thought...How?"
"Shh", is how Winnie answered him followed by a sweet
loving kiss. With each one's hands tightly clasped in the other's, for
they thought the other might disappear, Winnie led them over to a nearby
gazebo.
They sat down together, and stared elatedly into each other's eyes. It had been a long time since the had stared at on another, a long time, but not as long as it had taken for the two to be reunited.
He was happy, and relieved to see her again, but at the same time he was also sad and guilty about having her give up her life for him. Yet through it all he had a nagging anger inside him, an anger for the situation they were in. the situation that damned spring had put them in.
For Jesse, he and his family considered it a wicked curse what had been done to them.
But he had ached and pined for her nonetheless.
Just to make sure that she was really, truly there he softly stroked Winnie's cheek, and soft brown hair. She was real, but he still couldn't understand, and that's when Winnie began her tale.
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TBC Soon! Please remember to review and tell me what you think!